Teaching Sustainability in Biology

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Teaching about biology offers abundant opportunities to incorporate sustainability into the classroom. Sustainability topics are a natural fit with numerous themes in biology such as population dynamics, agriculture, the carbon cycle and more.

Exploring Sustainability through Biology

Agriculture

Population dynamics

Carbon cycle

Forestry

Fisheries

Diseases

Sustainability and Biology for the Undergraduate Curriculum

Sustainability can be addressed in many different types of courses, from Bio 101 to advanced graduate-level classes. Thus, there are many pathways to introduce sustainability themes into a wide range of topics.

For more resources on teaching sustainability across many disciplines, see the SERC Sustainability Site Guide. This site guide contains annotated links to hundreds of teaching activities, course descriptions, visualizations, and articles compiled through a number of projects.

The Challenge of Lignocellulosic Bioenergy in a Water-Limited World King, John S. et. al., February 2013, BioScience, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 102-117.
This study examined 'the water-use effeciency of tree- and grass-based bioenergy sytems' and projects that relative water availability will be a key factor in the development of these energy systems.

What Is Conservation Science? Kareiva, Peter et. al., November 2012, BioScience, Vol. 62, No. 11, pp. 962-969.
This article re-addresses the question of 'what is conservation biology?' by taking into account the advances of the past 25 years.

Creating a Sense of Urgency Morris, Robert D., November 2012, BioScience, Vol.62, No. 11.
This article is a review of three books that address the water/energy crisis taking place in the US.

Call for Action: Life Altering Environmental Experiences Mackenzie, Ann Haley. April 2008, NABT, Vol. 70, No. 4.
This is an editorial published in The American Biology Teacher, advocating the importance of getting students outside, where they can have life-changing interactions with the environment.

Editorial: Sustainability for Here and Now Beardsley, Timothy M., June 2010, BioScience, Vol. 60, No. 6, p 403.
This editorial discusses two articles from the same edition of BioScience that address ecosystem management.

K-12

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Researcher examines an algae photobiorector, which uses light energy and carbon dioxide to grow algae by photosynthesis. Microalgae is a potential source of biofuels. Photo by Pat Corkery/NREL

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Organizations and Institutes with Additional Resources

National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)—funded through a National Science Foundation grant to the University of Maryland—is dedicated to solving society's most challenging and complex environmental problems.

Continuing Education and Networking

NABT Global Perspectives Committee
The National Association of Biology Teachers' Global Perspectives Committee serves as a forum to enhance biology education internationally and to empower teachers and students to think more critically and creatively about the future. With an emphasis on teaching core biological competencies and creating opportunities to exchange information, the Global Perspectives Committee is committed to: teaching "Biological Sustainability" using an interdisciplinary approach, teaching "Civic Responsibility" and elevating pedagogical strategies to a global dimension.